1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to waste treatment systems and more particularly to waste conversion facilities where animal waste such as the waste produced by cattle is converted to methane gas and to fertilizer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In present day farming operations the production of waste by the large numbers of cattle usually involved presents a formidable disposal problem and many various techniques for removing such animal waste to some remote collection area have been developed in the past. Most such techniques operate either on the basis of a conveyor belt, with the cattle aligned over the conveyor belt to deposit their waste thereon, or on the basis of periodic scraping where the waste built up in some collection area, such as a trough immediately behind the animals, is removed periodically.
Accordingly, most prior art techniques take benefit of heavy power equipment to accomplish the purpose described herein. In present power shortages this involvement of heavy equipment in waste removal presents a large cost to the farmer, increasing the cost of food production without providing a convenient means of recovering the power available in animal waste.